FederalDaily - May 31, 2007
Private Debt Collectors More Expensive than Previously Noted
The startup cost of IRS’ private debt collection experiment is far more expensive than original
estimates and the private efforts seem to be disproportionately focused on low-wage tax payers, according
to congressional testimony. National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) President Colleen Kelley noted
that witnesses at a recent House Ways and Means Committee hearing said that although original cost
estimates for the IRS program startup were about $13 million; the actual start-up costs have been close
to $71 million. Also, she said, it appears the private debt collectors are most intensely pursuing
lower-income taxpayers. About 35 percent of those contacted were eligible for the Earned Income Tax
Credit on their tax forms, Kelley said on May 29. Kelley, who testified at the hearing, said IRS officials
had vastly underestimated IRS employee debt collection efforts, which are probably nearly five times
as cost effective as the private collectors. To see more, go to: www.nteu.org.
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GAO: DOL Needs to Improve Tracking in Vet Job Programs
The Department of Labor (DOL) needs to do a better job tracking the performance of two programs which
help military veterans get jobs, said a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report released on May
24. The GAO looked at the adequacy of performance information for the Disabled Veterans’ Outreach
Program (DVOP) and the Local Veterans’ Employment Representative (LVER) program. Although DOL
has adopted new performance measures for the programs, not all have been fully implemented. For example,
states are held accountable for helping veterans get and keep jobs, but are not yet held accountable
for their average earnings once employed, as they are for other programs. Also, having separate performance
measures for the DVOP and LVER programs fails to acknowledge the similarity of the populations they
serve, GAO said. “Labor’s data on veteran job seekers paint an unclear picture of their
use of other employment and training services,” the report said, “despite the use of common
performance measures across programs.” The DOL agreed with most of the GAO recommendations and
is in the process of implementing them, the report said. To see more, go to: www.gao.gov/highlights/d07594high.pdf
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NALC Backs Measure to Prevent Dog Bites
The National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) supports a new House measure that would encourage
communities to take better steps to protect letter carriers and other citizens against dog bites. The
measure, H. Res. 419, sponsored by Rep. Thaddeus G. McCotter, R-Mich., was recently introduced and
would also recognize National Dog Bite Prevention Week, May 20-26. NALC President William Young noted
that letter carriers face the danger of dog bites every day they are working. He said the union hopes
that McCotter’s resolution will raise awareness of the traumatic and potentially serious injuries
that occur from such incidents. More than 3,000 mail carriers are bitten by dogs each year, McCotter
said, in addition to an unknown number of meter readers, police officers and other door-to-door professionals. “Local
governments and homeowners must ensure that it is safe for letter carriers and others to walk through
their neighborhoods without fear of being attacked,” Young said. To see more, go to:
www.nalc.org/news/release/pr052207.html
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